Brake rigging with beam-retracting spring



May 24, 1949. F. SCHAEFER BRAKE RIGGING WITH BEAM-RETRACTING SPRINGFiled Nov. 15, 1947 INVENTORQ abwg Ww Mm QTTORNEYS,

Patented May 24, 1949 PATENT OFFICE BRAKE RIGGING WITH BEA-M-RETRACTINGSPRING 5 Claims. 1

This invention relates to railway car brake rigging, and moreparticularly to means for insuring that the brake shoes will be heldaway from the wheels while the brakes are released.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide brake rigging inwhich the shoes will not drag against the wheels while the brakes arereleased, and in which this result is accomplished by springs of simpleform connected to the beams and connecting rod an improved manner.

In accordance with this invention a brake beam is pivotally connected toan operating lever that extends transversely of the beam. Spacedvertically from the beam is a substantially horizontal connecting rodthat has one end pivotally connected to the lever in order to move thelever or to transmit motion from it to the other beam. A leaf spring isconnnected at its ends to the beam and rod and is formed for urging thebeam toward the opposite end of the rod so that the spring will normallyhold the brake shoes away from the wheels. Preferably, the connectingrod is hollow and one end of the spring extends into it, with the otherend of the spring connected to a pin in the brake beam. It is highlydesirable that this pin also connect one end of a beamleveling link tothe beam, the other end of the link being pivotally connected to theconnecting rod. As a result, the brake beam is maintained level in allpositions. The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings in which Fig, l is a vertical transversesection through a car truck bolster and the associated brake beams, withpart of the conneoting rod and one of the beam struts broken away; and 2is an enlarged view of the inner end of the spring, with the outline ofthe connecting rod shown in broken lines.

Referring to the drawings, a pair of brake beams, each formed from achannel-like compression member 6 and a tension rod 2 connected togetherat their ends by brake heads 3 and having their central portions spacedapart by a bifurcated strut d, are suspended in the usual way from brakehangers 5 which support the brake heads. The beams are actuated to applyor re lease the brake." by means of operating levers l5 and E that havetheir lower ends pivotally con nected in the struts by pins 8. The upperend or" the lever l is held by a dead lever guide 9 projecting from oneside of the truck bolster l l. The upper end of the live lever t isconnected by a piston rod 2 with the usual brake cylinder (not shown).

Motion of the live lever is transmitted to the dead lever through aconnecting rod l3 having forked ends that straddle the levers, The bodyof the connecting rod is tubular, the rod preferably being like the onedisclosed in my Patent No. 2,096,067. Each end of the rod is providedwith two longitudinally spaced pairs of openings i l, in either pair of.which a pin Hi may be disposed to pivotally connect the adjacent leverto the rod. Spaced inward from these openings at each end of the rod aretwo more longitudinally spaces pairs of openings l l in either one ofwhich a pivot pin E8 may be disposed for pivotally connecting the upperend of a beam-leveling link it to the rod. Thelower end of the link ispivotally connected in the brake beam strut below it by means of a pin2| adjacent channel I. These links are of such length that they maintainthe brake beams level and prevent them from tilting in a transversevertical plane, whereby the upper ends of the brake shoes 22 areprevented from hearing against the wheels 23 with any more pressure thanthe lower ends of the shoes.

It is a feature of this invention that the brake I beams are certain tobe retracted far enough when the brakes are released to prevent thebrake shoes from dragging against the wheels. Accordingly, a spring 25is connected to each beam to swing it as far as possible toward thetruck bolster. Each spring preferably is formed from a fiat resilientbar which has been curved lengthwise. The lower end of the spring isbent into a loop to form an eye 2'! that is inserted in a brake'beamstrut t and through which a pivot pin 2| extends. Because of this, theloop at the lower end of the adjoining leveling link i9 is made largeenough to encircle the spring eye. This link loop is not entirelyclosed, so that the spring can extend out of it from pin 2!. The springis bowed toward the link with the upper end of the spring extending backinto the hollow body of the connecting rod. This end of the springextends downward in the rod and is provided with a concave end portion28 which conforms somewhat to the transverse curvature of the rod andwhich also permits the spring to rock lengthwise of the rod. Due to thedegree of curvature with which the body of the spring is providedinitially, its opposite ends tend to move toward each other. When thebeams are swung away from the bolster to apply the brakes, the strutscarry the lower of the springs toward the wheels. This tends tostraighten the springs, but, due to their resistance to beingstraightened, they swing the beams back toward the bolster as soon asthe brakes are released. This prevents the brake shoes from dragging onthe wheels while the brakes are not in applied position.

It will be noted that no extra fastening members are required forholding the springs in place because their upper ends are retained inthe hollow brake rod while their lower ends are attached to the beamstruts by the same pins that connect the leveling links to the struts.The springs also areofsimple shape and easy to make, and due to theirlength they are not subjected to much flexing strain. Therefore, theyhave a long life.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained theprinciple of. my invention and have illustrated and described what: I

now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to haveit understoodthat, within the scope of the appendediclaims, theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustratedand described.

I claim:

ltRailway can brake rigging comprising a brakes-beam; an". operating;lever extending transversely of' the: beam: andapivotally. connected toit; a substantially hoizontal hollow connecting rod: spaced verticallyfrom thebeam and having one-end pivotally connected to the lever, and aleaf spring; having one end disposed insaid rod and the'oth'er,endioonnected to the beam, and sairl' spring being formed. to urge thebeam toward-the opposite endof the rod to normally-hold the beam inbrake-released: position.

2; Railway car brake rigging comprising a brakesb'eam, anoperatingleverextending transversel'y'offthe beamand pivotally connected to it, asubstantially! horizontal hollow connecting rod spaced vertic'ally'fromithe beam and having one end pivotally connected to the lever, and a leafspring having one end:disposed in said rod and theother end'connected tothe beam, said spring being'b'owedi toward said: lever with the ends ofthe-sprin'gbiased towards each other, whereby the spring. urges: thebeam toward the rod to normally hold the beam in. brake-releasedposition: S 1

33 Railway car brake rigging comprising a brakeibeam', an. operating;lever extending transversely'of: the beam and" pivotally connected toit; asubstantially horizontal. hollow connecting rodspacedzverticallyfrom the beam and having oneend'pivotallyconnected tothe lever, a beamleveling link beside the'lever; pivot pins connectingthe ends of the link to the beam and rod, and a leaf spring having oneend connected to the pin that connects the link to the beam, the otherend of the spring being disposed in said rod, said spring urging thebeam toward the opposite end of the rod to normally hold the beam inbrake-released position.

4. Railway car brake rigging comprising a brake'beam, an operatinglever'extending transverselyof the beam and pivotally connected to it, asubstantially horizontal hollow connecting rod spaced vertically fromthe beam and having oneendpivotally connected to the lever, abeamleveling link beside the lever, pivot pins connecting the ends ofthe link to the beam and rod, and a lea-f spring having one end disposedin said rod and.the. other end connected to the pin that connects thelink to the beam, said spring being bowed toward said link with the endsof the spring biased towards each other, whereby the spring urges-the:beamitowardthe rod to normally hold the-beam inibrakei-releasedposition.

5; Railway car brake rigging comprising a brake beam, anoperatingleverextending transversely ofthe beam-and pivotally connected to it, asubstantially horizontal connecting. rod spaced vertically from the beamand having one end pivotally connected to the lever, a leaf springhaving. one end connected to the rod and the other endprov-idedwith an;eye, apivotpin: extending through saideye and connecting the spring. tothe. beam, and a beam-leveling link beside. the-spring.having oneendpivotally connected to the'rod; the opposite end of the linkencircling. said. spring eye toconnect the link to the. beam, and saidspring being formed to urge the. beam toward the opposite endof the rodto normallyv hold: the beam in-brake-released position.

FREDERIC SCI-IAEFER.

REFERENCES CITED following references are of record in the file of thispatent:

UNITED'STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,202,-934' Weinland Oct. 31,1916 1,473,006 Blest Nov. 6, 1923 2,215,239- Baselt- Sept. 17, 1940

